Musings, travels and tidbits for the pet-bird world from the editors of Bird Talk

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

A life with birds

Is it possible to be a bird person but not own a bird?

When I started off working with the BIRD TALK team as an intern, I couldn’t tell you much about birds. I could tell a cockatiel from a cockatoo, and perhaps a toucan. But that was about it.

I’ve learned a lot, and am still not a bird expert, but I like to think that I’ve become more knowledgeable when it comes to the world of birds.

I was greatly amused this weekend when I went down to San Diego for my birthday weekend. I pulled out the key to my hotel room, and there on the card where three birds. Three lovebirds to be exact, yellow in color with peachy colored faces. I guessed out load that they were lutino peach-faced love birds. (I found out today that they are actually called orange-faced lovebirds.) My friends, as usual, looked at me as if I had grown wings and shook their heads at my random bird trivia. But really now, what are the odds that I would get a key with birds on it? Especially since the other two keys had flip flops on them. The hotel people must have known, or perhaps it’s some sort of bird gravitational pull in my aura.

But back to answering my question and maybe the answer is more that I have a greater appreciation for birds. And with this greater appreciation I find myself including birds in my life.

I still do not own a bird. I don’t think it would be practical in my living situation right now, especially since I’m not completely unpacked and settled into my new house. But thanks to my friends and family, I do own more bird themed items.

My mom got me a statue of a woman holding a dove for Christmas. One view of it is that she wants me to find more peace in my hectic life. But the real reason is that she saw that it had a bird on it, and that is exactly the reason why she got it for me.

Every time I go into a pet store to buy stuff for my cat, I have to walk by the bird section to see what birds are there. I have to say hi to them and I have to look at each of them and try to guess what kind of species they are without looking at the sign.

And that so far, is my life with birds outside of my work with the magazine and BirdChannel.com.

Speaking of BirdChannel.com, the promises of new features has finally happened.